Meadowood's 12 Days of Christmas, Day 9: Nick Anderer of New York's Maialino

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The ninth night of Meadowood’s guest chef fest took a decidedly Italian turn, courtesy of Nick Anderer of New York City’s Roman trattoria, Maialino.

It was not the first time that Christopher Kostow and Anderer experienced Italian cuisine together; once upon a time, they both studied together in Rome, where they studied art history and naturally, went out to eat. Fast-forward a few years, and here they are again.

“I wanted to bring a slice of what we do at Maialino in New York to Napa,” says Anderer. That slice translated into new takes on Italian traditions, like bagna cauda and roasted game birds. And for the pasta course, Anderer made lumaconi — a shape that translates to “large snails” — and topped it with a heap of black truffles.

“We’ve been standing on the shoulders of giants for a while and some of us are leaping off and doing our thing,” he says.

“Chris is a good example. He’s created this little fantasy world here at Meadowood and he wants to bring in other chefs creating their own little worlds,” he continues. “They’re going against trends, doing things instead that are heartfelt, soulful and inspired by time and place. It’s not stuck in the past, it’s not dated.”

Here’s what was served, with wines from Donald Bryant of Bryant Family Vineyards.